'I read every single message': Alex Trebek thanks fans who wished him well following his pancreatic cancer diagnosis during his return to Jeopardy!

Alex Trebek thanked fans for their support upon his return to the set of Jeopardy after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on Thursday.

'Hi everyone, I just wanna take a few moments to say thanks to the - believe it or not - hundreds of thousands of people who have sent in tweets, texts, emails, cards, and letters wishing me well following my recent health announcement,' the Jeopardy! host, 78, said in the message, which was captioned, 'Thank you.'

'Now obviously, I won't be able to respond to all of you individually,' the veteran TV personality said, 'but I did want you to know that I do read everything I receive and I am thankful for the kind words, the prayers, and the advice you have offered, and I'm extremely touched by the warmth you have expressed in your comments to me.'

The Greater Sudbury, Canada native said that he's 'heard from former contestants' in the wake of publicly revealing his health battle earlier this month.

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The least: Alex Trebek, 78, thanked fans in a taped video message upon his return to the set of Jeopardy!, the game show he's hosted for 35 years

Trebek said he's 'a lucky guy' to end the clip.

The show had previously expressed its gratitude to fans who had been in correspondence after Trebek made his announcement.

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'The outpouring of good wishes and support in response to Alex's recent health news has been humbling and overwhelming,' read a tweet from the show's account last week. 'Please know that your messages are being conveyed to him and are deeply appreciated. From everyone at Jeopardy! - thank you.'

Trebek on March 6 revealed his diagnosis in a video clip, for which he was subsequently lauded for his courage and poise in delivering the personal news.

Gracious: The TV veteran expressed his thanks for the deluge of well-wishes he'd gotten

Obliged: Trebek said he was 'thankful for the kind words, the prayers, and the advice' he'd gotten amid the announcement

He said, 'Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you. And it's in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy fanbase.'

He said he announced it himself in an effort to save his fans 'from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding [his] health.

'So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information. Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.'